Package advancing mechanism



NOV. 21, 1939. v T PETERSEN 2,180,548

PACKAGE ADVANCING MECHANISM Filed A ril 21. 1957 I S Sheets-Sheet VENTOR ATTORN EYS T. PETERSEN 2,180,548

PACKAGE ADVANCING MECHANISIM I Filed A rirzl, 1937 /6Z /JJ/ 40/ z (#0 8 (74 EgENToR fifwui) W ATTORNEYS Nov. 21, 1939. T. PETERSEN 2,180,548

PACKAGE ADVANCING MECHANISM Filed April 21, 1957 s Sheets-Sheet 4 Z QVENT? ATTORNEYS Nov. 21, 1939. "r. PETERSEN PACKAGE ADVANC ING MECHAN I SM- Filed April 21, 1937 5 Sfieets-Sheet 5 ATTORNEYS Patented Nov. 21, 1939 z sosis PATENT OFFICE PACKAGE ADVANCING MECHANISM Thorvald Petersen, Erie, Pa., assignor to R. G. Wright & Company, Bufialo, N. Y.

Application April 21, 1937, Serial No. 138,138

28 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in mechanisms for advancing packages or containers, for example, for the purpose of filling and closing such packages.

I have shown my invention in the accompanying-drawings as applied to a milk bottle filling and capping machine, but it is not intended thereby to limit this invention to such use, since it will be obvious that the mechanism herein described may operate on other packages or containers.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a package advancing mechanism of improved construction and high efliciency whereby the packages, regardless of their size and the time required for filling them or otherwise operating on the same, may be moved from one position to another at a maximum rate of speed. It is also an object of this invention to provide the mechanism with means for varying the time interval during which the packages remain in a station, without varying the speed of movement of the packages from one station to another.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved mechanism by means of which a rotary table supporting the packages may be raised and lowered and also moved through an arc of a circle when in lowered position. Another object of this invention is to provide a mechanism which operates intermittently and which is stopped when packages are in position to be operated upon and which is again started in operation after the desired time interval. It is also an object of this invention to provide mechanism of this kind which can be easily and accurately adjusted to vary the time interval during which the mechanism is stopped.

Another object of the invention is to provide improved means for stopping and again starting the mechanism; also to provide means whereby the mechanism can be operated partly automatically and partly under the control of the operator.

A further object of the invention is to provide means of improved construction for imparting rotary motion to the package supporting table; also to provide mechanism of this kind with means for accurately positioning the table so that the packages will be in their correct stations. Other objects of the invention will appear from thefollowing description and claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. l is a perspective view of the bottle filling and capping mechanism in which the bottles or containers are advanced by means of mechanism embodying this invention.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof.

FigsJS and 4 are fragmentary elevations, on an enlarged scale; of portions of the machine showing containers of different sizes in their closing or capping positions. I

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view of a part of an adjusting lever for varying the time during which the containers-remain in filling or closing positions.

Fig. 6" is a central sectional elevation of the filling and capping machine provided with my improved container advancing mechanism.

Fig. 7 is a horizontal section. thereof, on line Fig. 6.

Figs. 8 and 9 are fragmentary elevations of the lower portion of the machine, showing a foot pedal for starting and stopping the machine, in different positions.

10 is ase'ctional plan View thereof, on an enlarged scale, on line I0|ll, Fig. 6. m

Fig. 11 is'a sectional elevation thereof, on line ll--ll, Fig. 10. Y

Fig. 12 is a fragmentary sectionalelevation thereof, on line 82-42, Fig. 10.

Fig. 13 is a fragmentary sectional plan thereof, on line I3l3, Fig. 6.

Fig. 14 is a transverse sectional elevation thereof, on line l4 |4, Fig. 12.

Fig. 15 is a fragmentary sectional elevation thereof approximately on line I5-l5, Fig. 10.

Figs. 16 and 17 are similar sectional elevations in which the parts are shown in different positions. I

Fig. 18 is a sectional elevation thereof, on line l8-l8, Fig. 17.

Fig. 19 is a sectional plan view thereof, on line I9l9, Fig. 17.

Fig. 20 is a sectional elevation thereof, on line 20-40, Fig. 19.

In the drawings, I have shown by way of example, a milk bottle filling andcapping machine to which my improved container advancing mechanism is applied. This machine includes a base or housing A Within which my improved mechanism is confined, the housing being provided with a removable cover a to which access may be had to the mechanism contained in the housing. The housing or base also serves tosupport an upright column B at the upper end of which is mounted a tank C for milk or other liquid with which the containers are to be filled. The column B also supports a movable table D on which the containers or bottles are positioned and on this table a plurality of bottle container supports d are yieldingly mounted. The table is rotatable so that the containers after being positioned on the supports d of the table advance in the first place to a filling station at which a series of valve actuating members E are provided which may, for example, operate to fill the containers as described in my Patent No. 2,057,538 of October 13, 1936. After the containers are filled, they are advanced to a capping position or station in which a plurality of capping devices or members F are provided which place caps from magazines 7 on the containers. The capping mechanism may, if desired, be constructed in accordance with that shown in my pending application No. 112,106 filed Nov. 2 1', 1936. The containers after being capped or closed are then moved by the table D into a third position or station G, Fig. 2, and while in this position, the filled and capped or closed containers may be removed from the machine and replaced by containers to be filled. From the station G, these containers are then advanced to the filling station or position.

The table D during the operation of the machine is, consequently, subjected to rotary motion through a third of a circle to move the containers from one station to another. Upon completion of the rotary motion the table is raised so that the containers are placed into operative relation to the filling and capping mechanisms. After the completion of the filling or other operation, the table is first moved downwardly and then turned through a third of a circle to advance the containers or bottles to the next station, and then again raised.

I have shown in Figs. 3 and 4, a manner in which the bottle filling and cappingv machine may be employed for filling bottles of different sizes. For example, in Fig. 3, I have shown a single spacing member h arranged on the container support (1. In Fig. 4, I have shown an additional spacing member 2' positioned on the spacing member 71.. Consequently, when the machine operates on containers or bottles X of the maximum size as shown in Fig. 6, the bottles stand directly upon the supports (1. When the machine is used in connection with bottles or containers Y of a smaller size than shown in Fig. 3, only the spacing member h is employed and when still smaller bottles or containers Z are being operated upon, two spacing members h and i are employed. For example, the bottles X may be quarts, the bottles Y pints, and the bottles Z half-pints. Any other means for adapting the machine to operate on containers of different sizes may be used.

It will, of course, be understood that my improved mechanism may be used in connection with any other device employed. for effecting operations upon articles or containers, the milk bottle filling and capping machine in the accompanying drawings being shown merely by way of example. I

It will be obvious from the machine thus far described that when a large container or bottle X is being filled, considerably greater time is necessary to fill such bottle than either of the smaller bottles Y and Z. In order to enable a machine of this type to operate at maximum efficiency, the table or container support D should be advanced from one station to another at the maximum speed and such speed is definitely limited for the reason that excessive speeds will either cause the bottles to fall over during acceleration or retardation or movement of the bottle supports or will cause liquids to spill out of the bottles when moving from their filling to their capping positions. Consequently, in machines heretofore constructed, it was necessary to limit the speed of operation of the machine to the time necessary to fill the largest container on which the machine was capable of operating. Consequently, when the machine was operating on half-pints, the same length of time was required to fill half-pints as to fill quarts. In accordance with my improved mechanism, the machine is so operated that the speed of movement of the table is always the same, regardless of whether the machine is operating on smaller or larger containers, but the time interval during which the containers remain at their various stations may be Varied in accordance with the size of the container which is being operated upon. Consequently, it is possible to materially reduce the time required to hold smaller containers in the filling position without varying the speed with which the containers are advanced from one station to another.

In the improved mechanism for producing these results which I have herein illustrated and described, I have incorporated merely one embodiment of this invention, and it will be understood that it is not intended to limit this invention to the particular mechanisms herein disclosed.

My improved mechanism may be operated from any suitable source of power and in the particular construction illustrated, I have shown an electric motor 25 which is arranged within the casing or housing A. This motor is mounted upon a base 26 and any suitable means may be employed for readily connecting and disconnecting the motor with my improved container advancing mechanism. By way of illustration, I have shown a motor drive mechanism such as is disclosed in my copending application No. 112,107 filed Nov. 21, 1936, by means of which a pulley secured on the motor shaft may be moved into and out of driving engagement with a belt. For this purpose, the base 26 of the motor is pivoted at one end thereof upon lugs 12'! formed on the housing A, a pivot rod 28 extending through these lugs and through a part of the base 28. By swinging the motor upwardly about the axis of the pivot rod 28, a driving pulley 29 on the motor shaft may be moved out of driving engagement with the belt 30 for interrupting the operation of the mechanism as shown in Figs. 10 and 15, and when the motor is lowered, the driving pulley 29 engages the belt 38, as shown in Figs. 16 and 17. Any other suitable clutch means may be provided for connecting and disconnecting the motor and the mechanism. In connection with the particular clutch means shown, means may be employed to hold the belt out of engagement with the driving pulley 29, as described in my copending application No. 112,107 filed Nov. 21, 1936, but such belt holding means are omitted from the accompanying drawings for the sake of clearances.

The belt 30 cooperates with a driven pulley 3| mounted on a shaft 32 which may be suitably journalled in any desired manner on the frame or housing A, for example, on downwardly extending brackets 33 and 34, Fig. 6. The shaft 32 may impart motion to my improved mechanism in any suitable or desired manner, for example, through the medium of a worm 35 meshing with a worm gear 36 mounted to rotate about the axis of a shaft 37 extending transversely of the housing A of the machine and having its ends secured in lugs or projections 38 and 39.

The raising and lowering and also the swinging of the table D are preferably effected by means of cams which are positioned in correct timing relation to each other and all of which may be rotated by means of the gear 36 about the axis of the shaft 31. In the particular construction illustrated, I have provided a cam 42 for raising the table and for controlling the lowering of the same. The shaft 3'! is suitably connected with the worm gear 36 for this purpose. This cam cooperates with a lever 43, one end of which is pivoted to lugs or projections 44 of the housing A and the other end of which is pivotally connected at 46 to the lower end of an upright rod or bar 45, the upper end of which is connected with the table D." The middle portion of the lever t3 preferably has an anti-friction roller 4! which bears on the face of the cam 42, Figs. 6, 10 and 14. In the position of the parts shown in Fig. 6, the'roller 4'! rides on the highest part of the cam 42 and consequently, through the medium of the lever 43 and connecting rod or bar 45, the table is shown in its highest position.

The connection between the rod or bar 45 and the table D may be eiiected in any suitable or desired manner. In the particular construction shown, see particularly Fig. 6, this rod or bar extends upwardly into a stationary central tubular supporting pillar 50 of the column B. The lower end of this pillar is rigidly secured in a substantially circular base or flange 5! of the housing or frame member A and the upper part of the pillar 50 has an annular cap member 52 rigidly secured thereto, on the upper portion of which the base of the tank C rests. This column, therefore, supports the tank C in fixed relation to the base or frame member A. The upper end of the connecting rod or bar 45 has a transversely extending bearing sleeve 53 which is preferably formed integral therewith. Within this sleeve is journalled a transversely extending pin 54, the ends of which extend through upright slots 55 formed in the pillar 50, see also Fig. 11. ,The outer ends of the pin 54 are provided with rollers 5! upon which the lower circular flange of acylindrical bearing part or sleeve 58 rests. This sleeve is slidably and rotatably arranged about the pillar 50 and is suitably secured through the medium of another cylindrical member 59 to the table D. Consequently, when the connecting rod or bar 45 is raised orlowered, the table D, which rests by gravity upon the rollers 57, is also raised or lowered to the same extent and because of the rolling contact between the rollers 51 and the cylindrical sleeve 58, the table is free to rotate independently about the elevating and lowering means, and about the pillar 55.

In order to properly guide the table D in its vertical and rotary movement on the pillar 50, it is desirable to provide another bearing on the piliar below the rollers 51, and consequently, the cylindrical table supporting part 59 is provided with a lower cylindrical bearing portion 50 which engages the pillar 50 below the table D.

The cam 52 which effects the raising and lowering of the table D may be connected with the worm gear 31 in any suitable or desired manner and in the construction shown, the cam is secured to or formed integral with a sleeve 55, Figs. 10 and 14, which extends about the shaft 31 between the lugs 38 and 39, and the worm wheel 36 has its hub portion arranged about the bearing sleeve 65 and is secured to the cam 42 by means of a screw or bolt 61. The shaft 3! maybe held in fixed position by means of a pin 64 extending through the shaft and the lug 38. Any other connection between the cam and the worm gear may, of course, be provided, if desired.

The mechanism for rotating the table to advance the containers from one station to another may be effected in any suitable or desired manner, and in the construction illustrated, I also effect this movement by means of a cam which is in fixed relationship to the cam 42. For example, the cam for effecting rotation of the table may be formed integral with a side of the gear wheel 36, and in the construction illustrated, I have provided on a side of the worm gear 36 a pair of laterally extending flanges or webs 10 and H which are spaced apart and forming between them a cam slot or groove in which a roller 12 pivotally mounted ona lever 13 may operate. The lever may be pivoted at 14 on an upwardly extending lug formed on the bottom of the housing A and the cam' groove between the flanges ill and H is of such shape as to impart to the lever 13 the desired movement. ever 13 is preferably connected by means of one or more links 54 to a slidable rack 15 suitably guided on the housing A to-slide in a lengthwise direction. This rack 15 engages with a gear 16 which is secured to a sleeve 11 rotatably arranged about the pillar 50 see Figs. 6 and 13. In the construction shown, the gear is arranged in an annular recess formed in the upper face of the boss or flange 5! in which the lower end of the pillar is secured. The sleeve 11 is provided with suitable means for forming a driving connection with the cylindrical bearing member 60 which is secured to the table, when the table and the cylindrical part 59 are in their lowest position. For example, in the construction illustrated, the upper edge of the sleeve H is provided with a plurality of upwardly extending projections or teeth 18 which are adapted to enter into corresponding recesses or depressions 19 formed in the lower edge of the cylindrical bearing member 60. Consequently, when the table D is in its lowest position, the sleeve ll will become interlocked with the lower end of the bearing member 60 and at the same time, the cam flanges or projections it and '4! will swing the lever 13 in a direction to move the rack bar 15 in such a manner as to turn the sleeve l1 through an arc of a" circle sufficient to move'the table D to advance the containers thereon from one station to'the next. When the circular movementof the table D is completed, the table is again raised through the action of the cam 42 and lever 43, as has already been described, to position the containers in correct relation to the bottle filling and capping mechanisms.

Means may be provided to further insure the correct registration of the containers with the filling and capping mechanisms. In the con struction shown for this purpose, a key and slot connection is provided between the table and a fixed part of the machine,-which interengage when the table moves into its upper position. In the machine illustrated, Figs. 6 and 7, one or more upright grooves or slots are arranged on a part of the table, for example, on the bearing sleeve 58 or the cylindrical part 59. Suite The' able keys 8! are arranged on a-depending cyi with the rotatable sleeve 7?.

member 59 when'the table'is in its upper position, and forms a guard which covers and protects these parts. The key members 8! may have downwardly converging side faces and the upper ends of the side walls of the upright slot 80 may diverge upwardly so that if the table D is not moved into exactly the correct position by means of the rack '15 and the gear 16, the entrance of the key member at into the upright slot 80 will cause the table D to be turned to the necessary extent to cause the bottles to correctly register with the filling and capping devices. The key and slot arrangement described has the advantage also of holding the table positively against any turning movement when the containers are being filled, capped or otherwise operated upon. The slots are of sufficient length so that the keys enter the same immediately after the lower bearing member 60 has passed out of engagement Any other suitable means for ensuring the correct positioning of the tablewith reference to the stationary capping and filling devices may, of course, be employed, if desired.

The lever '13 of the table rotating mechanism may also be used to actuate the capping devices of the machine and in the machine illustrated a link 83, Figs. 12 and 14, is pivotally connected with the lever '53 at 84. The other end of this link is pivotally connected with an arm 85 secured to the lower end of an upright rod or shaft 3 5 which extends upwardly through the pillar At its upper end the rod or shaft is provided with an arm 81, by means of which the capping devices may be actuated as described in my aforesaid application No. 112,106.

Ag has been stated, the machine can readily be adapted to operate on bottles of different sizes and in order to enable the machine to operate at maximum capacity, the mechanism should be operated at such speed as to move the bottles and the tables supporting the same from one position to another at near the maximum speed without tipping the bottles over and with- ,out spilling any of the contents when the movement of the same is accelerated and vdecelerated. This maximum speed is practically the same for bottles of diiferentsizes. It is obvious, however, that considerably longer time is occupied in fill- -ing large bottles, such for example as the quart size, than is required for filling pints, and halfpints require still shorter filling periods. If the operation of the machine were entirely controlled by means of cams, it would, consequently, be necessary to operate the table so that the same will remain in stationary or fixed position for a sufficient length of time to enable the filling mechanism to fill the largest containers and this, consequently, would make it necessary to keep the smaller containers in their filling and capping positions for the same length of time as the largest containers, even though the smaller containers would be filled long before such time interval had elapsed. In order to overcome this difficulty, I provide means whereby the operation of the cam mechanism is discontinued when the containers are placed in positions to be operated upon or filled, and this may, for example, be accomplished by disconnecting the motor or other source of power from the cam mechanism during at least a part of the time while the containers are being filled. I also provide means whereby this time interval can be varied so that the table will be in the proper position for a shorter length of time when operating on small containers than when operating on larger containers,

and the means, briefly stated, include mechanism operated by the cam mechanism for disengaging the power supply thereto when the cam mechanism reaches a position in which the table D is in its upper position, and an adjustable time-controlled device whereby the motor or other power is again placed into driving connection with the cam mechanism after the desired time interval has elapsed.

In the particular construction shown for this purpose, the rotatable cam member is provided on a portion thereof with an outwardly projecting cam part 88 which may, for example, be formed on the outer face of the flange or web 70. This cam 88 cooperates with a roller 89 pivoted on an arm 90 rigidly mounted on a sleeve 9i, Fig. 10, journalled on a fixed shaft Bla, the ends of which may be secured in the frame or housing A, in any suitable manner. On this sleeve are arranged or rigidly secured two arms 92 and 93 extending in opposite directions from the sleeve 9!, and the arm 92 is so arranged that when the outwardly extending cam portion 88 engages the roller 89 and swings the arm 90 to the left in Figs. 15 to 17, the arm 92 will swing upwardly.

Any suitable releasable means may be provided for causing movement produced by the cam part 88 to disconnect the motor from driving engagement with the cam member, and in the construction shown for this purpose, the outer end of the arms 92 is provided with a suitable aperture through which a bolt or link 95 may extend, and this bolt or link 95 is secured to a hook member 96 having a hook-shaped part or shoulder 9! formed thereon which is adapted to en gage an upwardly extending arm or part 98 of the base 26 of the motor. The upper end of this part of the motor base is provided with a downwardly facing hook or shouldered part adapted to engage with the upwardly facing hook or shouldered part 9'1 of the hook member Q6. Consequently, when the arm 92 moves upwardly, the motor base 26 and the motor supported thereby will also be moved upwardly because of the em gagement of the hook member 96 with the upwardly extending projection 98 of the base. This upward movement of the base moves the motor pulley 29 out of engagement with the belt so that further transmission of power to the cam mechanism is interrupted.

Any suitable time controlled means may be provided for again establishing a driving connection between the motor and the cam mechanism and this may be accomplished by releasing the connection or means by which the driving connection is rendered inoperative, for example, by disengaging the hook part 95 from the upwardly extending part 98 of the base, so as to permit the motor base to swing downwardly about its pivotal connection with the lugs 21 of the frame or housing, into driving position in which the pulley 29 again engages the belt 30. In the particular construction illustrated, I have provided a dash pot mechanism for controlling the time interval during which the bottle supporting table D remains in its upper position and this mechanism is actuated through the medium of the arm 93, which in the construction shown is pivotally connected at 180 to an upwardly extending rod or link Hit. The lower end of this link is preferably bifurcated, as shown at I02 and formed integral with or secured to a spring compressing member, such as substantially circular Eextent, and by correct adjustment of the needle base part I03, the lower face of which engages a resilient or compressible member, such for example as a coil spring I04. The lower end of ,the spring or compressible member I04 bears against the bottom of the plunger or piston I06 which is arranged in a cylinder I01. The plunger I06 and cylinder I01 together form a dash pot for controlling the time interval during which the table D remains in its upper position and it will be noted that the plunger or piston I06 is moved downwardly through the medium of the spring or resilient member I04.

The dash potpreferably operates in an oil bath contained in a suitable tank or reservoir formed in the base of the frame member A, this member being provided with a transverse partition wall or dam H0 formed integral with the base and extending upwardly therefromand forming with a part of the base an oil reservoir or case I II containing sufiicient oil or other lubricant so that the gear 30 and cams mounted thereon dip into the same as clearly shown in Figs. 6 and 12' and for convenience, the cylinder I0? is arranged with its lower portion extending into the oil reservoir III, although it will be obvious that any other arrangement of the dash pot may be employed and the same may operate on other liquid than the lubricant in the base of themachine. The construction shown, however, is desirable in that the oil bath serves not only as a supply for the dash pot mechanism, but also servesv to lubricate many of the parts of the machine.

The cylinder l0'I of the dash pot is provided on a side thereof with an extension H2 forming a valve housing which has a downwardly directed inlet opening H3 which may, if desired, be formed in a removable screw plug H4 and the opening II 3 is closed by a suitable check valve, for example, a ball H5 which may seat in the upper end of the plug H4 about the aperture I I3 therein. Consequently, when the plunger or piston I06 is moved upwardly as will be hereinafter described, oil or other lubricant from the reservoir III is drawn upwardly through the opening H3, lifting the valve H5 from its seat, and then enters into a passage I I6 in the lateral extension H2 of the cylinder. This opening H0 is connected through suitable grooves or slots H8 in the wall of the cylinder with the cylinder head below the plunger I06.

The discharge of liquid from the dash pot when the plunger I06 is moved downwardly by the action of the spring I04 may be controlled in any suitable or desired manner, and in the construction shown, see particularly Figs. 19 and 20, a relatively small discharge passage is provided in the valve housing I I2, including a horizontally extending hole or recess I20 connecting with a downwardly extending passage or hole Hi, the passage I20 connecting with the interior duct or passage H6. The passage I20 in the particular construction shown is controlled by means of a needle valve I22 having a threaded part I23 engaging in a correspondingly threaded aperture in the extension I I2 of the cylinder I0'I. Consequently, by turning the needle valve I22 about its axis, the same will be moved by means of the screw thread I23 toward and from the end of the passage or hole I20, thus decreasing or increasing the discharge opening to this passage. Obviously when this discharge passage is restricted or reduced, the piston I06 will move downwardly in the cylinder I0'I at a slower rate than when the needle valve is opened to a greater valve, the time interval during which the table D remains in its upper position can be accurately controlled.

casing A, for example, through a suitable packing nut I26, and at the outer end of the stem I25, a lever .I2I may be rigidly secured in any suitable manner. This lever may, as illustrated in Fig. l, extend upwardly along a side of the frame A of the machine and along the outer edge of a shelf or ledge I28 which is suitably secured to the side of the frame member A. The lever I2'I may be held in any adjusted position in any suitable or desiredmanner, and in the particular construction illustrated, the lever may be yieldingly pressed against the edge of the shelf I28 by means of a bar I30. In the construction shown in Figs. 1 and 5, this bar is of angle-shaped cross section and is held in correct relation to the shelf I28 by means of two or more bolts I3I having their threaded ends securedin threaded holes in the edge of the shelf I28 and extending loosely through suitable apertures in the upwardly extending flange of the bar I30. The bar is pressed toward the edge of the shelf I28 by means of coil springs I32 arranged between the bar I30 and the heads of the bolts I3I. Each bolt preferably also has a spring I33 arranged about a portion of the sameand positioned between the edge of the shelf. I28 and. the bar I30. The springs I32 are stronger than the springs I33-so as to urge the bar' l30. against the lever I21 and thus frictionall-y :hold the lever between this bar and the edge of the shelf I20. The other spring I33 merely serves to space the bar I30 from the edge of the-table to a sufficient extent so that the bar ISO-will lie approximately parallel to the adjacent edge of the shelf I28, which in turn helps to. hold the lever I2'I more positively in any position in which it may be set. The operator of the machine can, consequently, control the time interval during which the table D remains in its iligperwposition by suitably positioning the lever "The plunger or piston I06 of the dash pot may be connected through any suitable or desired mechanism with the hook member 96 in such amannerthat when the plunger has moved downwardly in its cylinder to a certain extent, the hook member 96 will disengage the motor to permit the same to move into its driving position; In the particular construction shown for thispurpos'e, the plunger or piston is provided with an upwardly extending piston rod 436 which is suitably secured thereto and which crank lever is pivoted on bearing lugs I40 and I41 extending outwardly from the upper portion'of the cylinder I01 and an arm I42 of the bell crank lever has a bifurcated end which extends between the nuts I31 and I30 of the pistonrod'. Another arm I43 of the bell crank lever extends downwardly and the lower end thereof is pivotally connected to a link I44 which is provided with an inclined slot I45 through which a pin I46 extends, .this pin being secured to the hook member 96.

It will be obvious by an inspection of Figs. 15, 16 and 17 that when the plunger I06 is in its upper position, as shown in Figs. 15 and 17, the downwardly extending arm I43 of the bell crank lever will draw the connecting link I44 to the right so that the hookor shouldered portion 91 will be yieldingly drawn into engagement with the upwardly extending part 98 of the motor base. As the plunger I96 moves downwardly under the action of the spring I94, the nut I38 will engage the arm I42 of the bell crank lever and move it downwardly, thus causing the arm I43 to swing to the left until it has moved the connecting link I44 to the left to such an extent that the shoulder or hook 9! disengages the upward extension 98 of the motor base and permits the motor to swing by gravity into its driving position. This will cause the gear 36 and cam 88, as well as the other cams, to be turned. When the high spot of the cam 88 moves out of engagement with the roller 89, the arms 92 and 93 move into the positions shown in Fig. 17, in which the hook member 96 carried by the arm 92 is lowered into a position in which it can readily engage the upward projection 98 of the motor base when the cam 88 again moves around into the position shown in Figs. 15 and 16. The arm 93 when in the upper position as shown in Fig. 17, moves the rod I [II upwardly so that the spring compressing base portion I93 of this arm engages the lower nut I3! of the rod I36 and moves the plunger I96 upwardly, drawing a supply of liquid into the cylinder I9! past the check valve I I5. In order to insure the swinging of the arms 92 and 93 into the position shown in Fig. 17, a spring I48 is provided, one end of which may be secured to the pivot member or pin I90, while the other end may be secured to any suitable fixed part of the frame, such for example as a cross member or web I49, see Figs. 6 and 11.

It will be noted that by means of the releasable connection between the hook member 96 and the motor base, the time controlled mechanism causes the motor to move quickly and positively into driving position, so that the mechanism is operated instantly. By using the gradual and slow movement of the parts of the time controlled mechanism to act on the motor through the medium of the releasable connection to produce a rapid movement of the motor into driving position, the wear of the driving pulley 29 on the driving belt is reduced to a minimum. This wear is further reduced by .the fact that at the time when the pulley 29 moves into engagement with the belt 39, the table actuating mechanism is not called upon to do any work, since the first step after starting the mechanism is to lower the table, which is eflected by gravity.

The inclined slot I45 in the connecting link $44 serves as a yielding connection between this link and the hook member 96, so that if the hook member in moving downwardly strikes the projection 98, it can move to the left as shown in Fig. 1'7, in which case the pin I 46 can also move to the left. The inclination of the slot I45 together with the weight of the link I44 urges the hook member 96 to the right in position to engage the hook of the projection 98 of the motor base.

Means are preferably provided whereby the time interval during which the table D is in its upper position may be under the control of the operator, rather than the time controlled mechanism. Control means of this kind can readily be applied to the mechanism herein described, for example, I have provided at the side of the housing A of the machine a foot pedal I54 which is secured intermediate of its endson a rock shaft I55 which extends into the housing or frame A of the machine. On the inner end of this rock shaft is provided an arm I56 which may be swung by means of the foot pedal either into an upper or inclined inoperative position, as shown in Figs. 6 and 8, or into an approximately horizontal position, as shown in Fig. 9. The foot pedal preferably has a laterally. extending arm I51 which, as shown in Fig. 1, is marked stop and which when depressed will move the arm I56 into the substantially horizontal position. The foot pedal also has at its other extremity another arm or lateral extension I58 marked start, on which the operator may step to move the foot pedal to the other limit of its movement in which the arm I56 is swung into its inoperative or inclined position as shown in Figs..6 and 8, whereupon the machine is again operated under control of the dash pot.

Any suitable means may be provided for yieldscrew plug I63 closing the lower end of the aperture which extends through the lug. The plunger I66 bears against portions of the arm I56 which may be flattened as shown in Fig. 6, so that the foot pedal will normally be held in either of its two extreme positions. The downward movement of the part I58 may be limited by the frame A of the machine and the movement of the foot pedal in the opposite direction may be limited by means of a shoulder or stop edge I64 formed on the arm I56.

In order to cooperate with the arm I56, the connecting link I44 is provided with an extension I66, the outer end of which is rounded or curved so as to readily cooperate with the arm I56. This connecting link I44, as clearly shown in Fig. 10, is bifurcated to straddle the hook member 96 and the extension I66 is formed on one of the legs of this bifurcated member. When the arm I56 is in its operative or lowered position as shown in Fig. 9, it engages the end of the extension I66 of the connecting member or link and when in this position would prevent the connecting link I66 from moving in a direction to disconnect the hook member 96 from the upward extension 98 of the motor base. Consequently, the table D will remain in its upper position until positively released by swinging the foot pedal into a position to move the arm E56 out of engagement with the extension I66, whereupon the spring I48 will quickly swing the arm 92 downwardly to lower the hook member 66. The machine will then operate to lower the table and advance the same to move the bottles to their next stations and then again to raise the table into filling and capping position. It will be obvious that the foot pedal may be actuated to stop the operation of the table in its upper position even before the table reaches such position and the machine will, nevertheless, continue its operation until the table reaches the upper position, whereupon the cam 88 stops the mechanism in the manner described, so that the same will not start until the foot pedal is again actuated.

I10 represents a cylindrical guard extending around the lower portion of the pillar 50. This guard may be formed integral with the top or cover plate I'll of the housing A. Another cylindrical guard [12 secured to the bearing member 59 of the table Dis arranged in telescopic relation about the guard H0, so that water or other liquid used in cleaning the machine will not enter the housing A. In the same manner, the cylindrical part 82 acts to keep out liquid and foreign matter.

It will be noted that by means of the mechanism described, the machine may be operated at maximum capacity regardless of the size of the packages or containers which are being operated upon. If the machine is operating on small packages, the time controlled or dash pot mechanism can be adjusted so that the packages or containers remain in their filling positions only long enough to fill the same. The time interval during which the packages or containers remain in their filling positions can be controlled not only by adjusting the lever I27, but further adjustments can be effected by changing the relationship between this lever and the needle valve I22. Since the adjustment of the time period during which the packages or containers remain in their filling positions does not afiect the rate articles from one position to another, it is obvious that packages or containers of all sizes may be advanced from one position to another at the maximum speed.

The machine described has the advantage that it may be used to operate automatically so that it isonly necessary for the operator to remove the containers which have been filled and capped or otherwise operated upon by the machine from the table D and replace them by containers to be operated upon. If the machine is changed to operate on containers of a difierent size, it is merely necessary to operate the hand lever 32! to adjust the machine for the different size of containers. If the operator desires to stop the operation of the machine without stopping the motor or to prolong the period during which the containers are in position to be, operated upon, it is merely necessary to step upon the arm I51 of the foot pedal I54, or ifthe operator desires to control the operation of the machine, he can move the foot pedal I54 into stop position until he has removed the filled containers and replaced them by empty ones and until he sees that the containers in the filling station are filled, whereupon he can move the foot pedal I54 into starting position by depressing the arm 158 thereof. If the time controlled mechanism has moved into position to move the motor into driving position, the link I44 will immediately move the hook member 96 out of engagement with the projection 98 of the motor base whereupon the table advancing mechanism goes into operation. If the foot pedal is moved into starting position before the containers have been filled and before the time controlled mechanism is in position to move the motor into driving connection with the table advancing cam mechanism, then the starting of this mechanism will be delayed until the time controlled mechanism has moved through its cycle. Consequently, the operator need not be particular to actuate the foot pedal at the right time but can actuate it sooner without resulting in incomplete filling of or other operation on the containers.

I claim as my invention:

1. A machine for operating on containers, including a container supporting table movable in a direction to advance the containers from one position to another and movable in another direction to place the containers into a position to be operated upon, power driven mechanism for imparting said movements to said table, means for interrupting the operation of said power driven mechanism when said table is in said position in which the.containers may be operated upon, time controlled means. for rendering said table moving mechanism again operative, and means for adjusting said last mentioned means to vary the time interval during which said table remains in said position in which the containers may be operated upon. v

2. A machine for operating on containers, including a container supporting table, mechanism for moving said table to advance the containers and to place the same into position to be oper-' at'ed upon, means for stopping said table moving mechanism after said containers have been placed in position to be operated'upon, a dash pot which is placed. into operation when said table is stopped in said position, means actuated by said dash pot for again starting the operation of said mechanism, and means for adjusting said dash pot to vary the time interval during which said table is stopped in said position.

. 3. A machine for operating on containers, including mechanism for placing 'a container into a position to be operated upon, means for stopping-the operation of said mechanism when the container is in said position, time controlled mechanism for again starting the operation of said container placing mechanism, and means for adjusting said time controlled mechanism to vary the time during which the container is in said position.

4. A machine for operating on containers, including mechanism for advancing the containers on the machine and placing the same in position to be operated upon, a motor for driving said mechanism, means for discontinuing the operation of said mechanism by said motor when a container is placed in said position, and adjustable time controlled means for again establishing the operation of said mechanism by said motor after a desired time interval to cause said mechanism to move said container from said position and to move another container to said position.

5. A machine for operating on containers, including a table for supporting the containers, mechanism for moving said table in a rotary direction to advance the containers from one position to another, and to raise said containers into positions in which-the containers are operated upon, means for rendering said mechanism inoperative when said containers have been placed into their raised positions, and adjustable time controlled mechanism for causing said mechanism to be again operated after a lapse of the desired time interval.

6. A machine for operating on containers, including a table for supporting the containers, mechanism for moving said table in a rotary direction to advance the containers from one position to another, and to raise said containers into positions in which the containers are operated upon, a source of power for operating said mechanism, means actuated by said mechanism after a container has been moved into a position to be operated upon for interrupting the transmission of power to said mechanism, time controlled means which are actuated by said mechanism when the supply of power thereto is interrupted, means actuated by said time controlled means for resuming the transmission of power to said mechanism, and means for adjusting said time controlled means to vary the time interval during which said containers remain in position to be operated upon.

7. In a machine for operating on containers, an intermittently operated cam controlled mechanism for moving containersinto and out or a position to be operated upon, a source of power having a driving connection with said cam mechanism, means actuated by a, part on said cam mechanism for interrupting said drivingconnection, a time controlled device which is placed into operation by said part, and means operated by said time controlled device for again establishing a connection between said soorce of power and said cam mechanism independently of said part,

8. In a machine for operating on containers, the combination of a cam mechanism for moving containers into and out of a position to be operated upon, a source of power arranged to be connected with and disconnected from said cam mechanism, releasable means for disconnecting said source of power from said cam mechanism, a part in said cam mechanism for actuating said releasable means to disconnect said source oi power from said cam mechanism, an adjustable time controlled device which is placed into operation when said source of power is disconnected from said cam mechanism, and a connection between said time controlled device and said releasable connection for releasing the same after the lapse of a predetermined time interval to again establish connection between said source of power and said cam mechanism.

9. In a machine for operating on containers, the combination of a cam controlled mechanism for moving containers into and out of a position to be operated upon, a motor movable into a position to transmit power to said mechanism and into another position in which said motor is disconnected from said mechanism, means for moving said motor into said other position when said containers are in positions to be operated upon, a time controlled mechanism which operates when said containers are in position to be operated upon, and means actuated by said time controlled mechanism for moving said motor into driving position after lapse of the desired time interval.

10. In a machine for operating on containers, the combination of a mechanism for moving containers into and out of a position to be operated upon, a motor, a driving belt for connecting said motor with said mechanism, a releasable connection between said mechanism and said motor for moving said motor out of driving relation to said belt when said containers are in positions to be operated upon, a time controlled mechanism which operates when said containers are in position to be operated upon for releasing said connection after a predetermined time interval to permit said motor to move into engagement with said driving belt.

11. In a machine for operating on containers, the combination of mechanism for moving containers into and out of a position to be operated upon, a motor having a driving connection with said mechanism, means operated by said mechanism for interrupting said driving connection when a container is in position to be operated upon, a dashpot which is placed into operation by said mechanism when a container is in position to be operated upon, and means operated by said dash pot after a desired time interval to again establish the driving connection between said motor and said mechanism.

12. In a machine for operating on containers, the combination of mechanism for moving containers into and out of a position to be operated upon, a motor having a driving connection with said mechanism, means operated by said mechanism for interrupting said driving connection when a container is in position to be operated upon, a dash pot, a spring for actuating said dash pot, means operated by said mechanism when a container is placed into position to be operated upon for applying pressure to said spring to operate said dash pot, and means actuated by said dash pot to again establish a driving connection between said motor and said cam mechanism after a lapse of a desired time interval.

13. In a machine for operating on containers, the combination of mechanism for moving containers into and out of a position to be operated upon, a motor having a driving connection with said mechanism, means operated by said mechanism for interrupting said driving connection when a container is, in position to be operated upon, a dash pot which is placed into operation by said mechanism when a container is in position to be operated upon-means operated by said dash pot after a desiredtime interval to again establish the driving connection between said motor and said mechanism, a part having a passage leading to said dash pot, and a valve controlling said passage for varying the time interval during which a container is in a position to be operated upon without varying the speed of said mechanism.

14. A machine for operating on containers, including mechanism for advancing the containers on the machine and placing the same in position to be operated upon, a motor for driving said mechanism, means for discontinuing the operation of said mechanism by said motor when a container is placed in said position, adjustable time controlled means for again establishing the operation of said mechanism by said motor after a desired time interval to cause said mechanism to move said container from said position and to move another container to said position, and means adapted to be actuated by the operator for stopping the operation of said time controlled means.

15. In a machine for operating on containers,

the combination of a mechanism for moving containers into and out of a position to be operated upon, a motor having a driving connection with said mechanism, releasable means actuated by a part of said mechanism for interrupting said driving connection, a time controlled device which operates when a container is in a position to be operated upon, means operated by said time controlled device ior releasing said releasable means to again establish a driving connection between said motor and said mechanism, and means adapted to be actuated by an operator to prevent the releasing of said releasable means by said time controlled device.

16. In a machine for operating on containers,

,5 hook member and said time controlled mechanism for releasing said connection between said hook member and said motor, and means adapted to be actuated by an operator to hold said link against movement in a direction to release said hook member from said motor.

17. In a machine for operating on containers, the combination of a rotatable and vertically movable table for supporting containers, mechanism for actuating said table including a cam for raising and lowering said table, a second cam for imparting rotary motion to said table, a motor for driving said cam mechanism, a disengageable driving connection between said motor and said cam mechanism, means actuated by said cam mechanism for disengaging said driving connection when said table has been moved vertically into a position in which a container may be operated upon, and means for actuating said driving connection to again drive said cam mechanism 26 from said motor after operation on said container is completed.

18. In a bottle filling and capping machine, the combination of a housing, a pillar extending upwardly from said housing, bottle filling and cap- 30 ping devices mounted on the upper end of said pillar, a table mounted to rotate aboutsaid pillar and to move vertically thereon, mechanism in said housingforraisingand lowering said table andfor imparting rotary motion thereto, a motor for operating said mechanism, a releasable driving connection between said motor and said mechanism, means operated by said mechanism for interrupting said driving connection, and means for reestablishing the driving connection after bottles have been filled and capped.

19. A machine for operating on bottles, including a rotary and vertically movable bottle supporting table, mechanism for imparting rotary and vertical movement thereto, a motor, transmission means connecting said motor with said mechanism, releasable means actuated by said.

mechanism for interrupting said transmission means, and means for releasing said releasable means to again establish a driving connection between said motor and said mechanism.

20. In a machine for operating on containers, the combination of a rotary and vertically movable container supporting table, a mechanism for rotating said table, including a rotary gear, a rack meshing with said gear, cam controlled means for reciprocating said rack to turn said gear through a portion of a revolution, said table and said gear having interlocking portions which engage when said table is lowered, and another cam, arranged in fixed'relation to the cam of said cam controlled means, for lowering said table when said gear is turned through an arc of a circle in one direction and for raising said table out of engagement with said gear when said gear is turned in the opposite direction.

21. A bottle filling and capping machine, including a housing, a pillar rigidly secured to said housing and extending upwardly therefrom, a bottle supporting table having a cylindrical bearing on the exterior-of said pillar, a sleeve journalled about the lower portion of said pillar and movable at intervals through a portion of a revolution and having parts adapted to engage with a part of the bearing of said table when said table is in lowered position to impart rotary movement thereto, and interlocking parts on a fixed part of the machine and another portion of said table bearing which move into engagement when said table is raised to prevent rotation of said table when out of engagement with said sleeve.

22. Abottle capping and filling machine, including a rotary and vertically movable bottle supporting table, a cam, means actuated by said cam and connected with said table for raising and lowering the same, a rotatable sleeve, a second cam, means actuated by said second cam and connected with said sleeve for imparting rotation thereto when said first cam has moved said table into its lower position, and cooperating parts on said sleeve and said table, whereby rotation of said sleeve is imparted to said table when said table is in lowered position.

23. A machine for operating on containers, including a container supporting table, mechanism for moving said table to advance the containers and to place the same into position to be operated upon, means for stopping said table moving mechanism after said containers have been placed in position to be operated upon, and means adjustable to render said table moving means operative after lapse of the desired time interval.

24. A machine for operating on containers including mechanism for advancing the containers on the machine and placing the same in position to be operated upon, a motor for driving said mechanism, means for disconnecting said motor from said mechanism when the container is in said position, and adjustable time controlled means for again connecting said motor With said mechanism after a lapse of the desired time interval to move the container from said position and to place another container into said position.

25. In a machine for operating on containers, an intermittently operated cam controlled mechanism for moving containers into and out of a position to be operated upon, a source of power having a driving connection with said cam mechanism, releasably connected members movable in a direction to interrupt the transmission of power to said cam mechanism, a part on said cam mechanism for operating said members to interrupt the transmission of power to said cam mechanism, and an adjustable time controlled device which is placed into operation by said part and which disconnects said releasably connected members to resume the transmission of power to said cam mechanism.

26. A machine for operating on containers including mechanism for advancing the containers on the machine and placing the same in position to be operated upon, a motor for driving said mechanism, means for disconnecting said motor from said mechanism when the container is in said position, time controlled means for again connecting said motor with said mechanism after a lapse of the desired time interval to move the container from said position and to place another container into said position, and means for adjusting said time controlled means in accordance with the time required to operate on said containers to vary the time interval during which said containers are in position to be operated upon without varying the speed of operation of said container advancing mechanism.

27. In a machine for operating on containers, the combination of a mechanism for moving containers into and out of a position to be operated upon, a motor movable into and out of driving connection with said mechanism, a hook member actuated by a part of said mechanism for releasably engaging said motor and to move the same out of driving connection, a time controlled device which operates when a container is in a position to be operated upon, a link connecting said hook member and said time controlled mechanism for releasing said connection between said hook member and said motor, and means adapted to be actuated by an operator to hold said link against movement in a direction to release said hook member from said motor.

28. In a machine for operating on containers, the combination of a mechanism for moving conably engaging said motor and to move the same out of driving connection, a time controlled device which operates when a container is in a position to be operated upon, and a link connecting said hook member and said time controlled mechanism for releasing said connection 10 between said hook member and said motor.

THORVALD PETERSEN. 

